Sensing something amiss from the thunder, Smoothie emerged from the cabin. She saw Cracker lying on the ground, still smoking, and a familiar yet unfamiliar face staring at her. Although the man appeared short to her, he exerted considerable pressure on her. His icy gaze made her break out in a cold sweat.
If we're talking about the people Vic dislikes the most in the Big Mom Pirates, it's Smoothie. Just like her mother, she doesn't treat people like human beings, wantonly taking away other people's lifespan and lives.
A person who treats people like fruit, squeezing them into juice, turning them into dried-up human remains— Vic finds such a person utterly unforgivable, especially after seeing several dried-up human remains dressed in naval uniforms on this warship.
If Cracker's sword hadn't been about to pierce the branch Vice Admiral's body, he wouldn't have attacked Cracker first; Smoothie was his target.
"Chop, slice, rice cakes! Smoothie! Come back now!"
Katakuri stretched out his arm, the front of which bulged and grew many spikes. With the Hardening of Armament Haki, it slammed down on Vic's head like a spiked club.
Observation Haki sensed the intense killing intent Vic harbored towards Smoothie and was about to kill Smoothie with a single strike. Therefore, Katakuri could only attack Vic while shouting at Smoothie, "She's my sister! And my brother is lying on the floor! I can't stand by and do nothing!"
Upon hearing Katakuri's words, Smoothie instantly reacted and vanished from her spot, returning to his side. Smoothie didn't believe she could defeat Vic; although both were swordsmen, they were on completely different levels.
Meanwhile, Vic transformed into his elemental form to dodge Katakuri's attack, which was imbued with Armament Haki, and pulled the branch Vice Admiral away from Katakuri's attack range.
Katakuri wasn't really going to attack Vic; this was just a feint. He was still afraid that Cracker would be easily killed by Vic.
This was just a feint. After breaking up Vic's elemental transformation, he withdrew his Armament Haki, and the mochi instantly softened, sticking the Cracker back onto the deck.
Katakuri finally breathed a sigh of relief when his younger siblings returned to his side. He felt unsafe if his siblings were more than three meters away from him, mainly because the place where Vic was was unsafe!
At other times, it's the younger siblings who make others feel insecure. Vic felt too dangerous to him; just his presence alone exerted immense pressure.
"So it really was you behind him. Your information network is quite extensive; you managed to find someone so transparent. You value him quite a bit, coming all the way from the New World to pick him up. Even after I captured him, you didn't give up. Is he really that useful?"
Vic crouched on the deck of the warship, his palm pressed against the branch Vice Admiral's chest, using his abilities to allow the body to heal itself.
Although the branch Vice Admiral was seriously injured, he was not yet on the verge of death. Vic planned to stabilize his condition first. It was unrealistic for several ability users to escape from him, so Vic was not in a hurry.
Although Vic knew his lieutenant Vice Admiral had lied to him when he saw Katakuri and the other three future Sweet Commander!
Although he was a branch Vice Admiral, it was impossible for him not to recognize the Big Mom Pirates, given that their huge logo was printed on their sails. But Vic wasn't angry; it was only human nature. With his strength, he didn't care. What he cared about more was Mora. Even if the branch Vice Admiral had told the truth, he would still have come.
"Our pirate crew's goal is to establish a nation where all races can coexist, and every race can live there. Mora may be unknown, but he is certainly eligible."
We came to the Paradise on other business; Mora was just a side trip. We only wanted to pick him up, but the Vice Admiral resisted fiercely, so we had to use force!
Katakuri was unaware that Vic already knew about the distant future, nor that Vic had analyzed many things. He only assumed that Mora had said something. He could only downplay Mora's value in their pirate crew's eyes and also reduce Mora's threat in Vic's mind, otherwise it would be really difficult to bring Mora back this time.
"No matter what you're doing at the Paradise, you shouldn't have come to hijack a warship. Hijackers rarely end well. Do you think you can leave here alive? Why don't we just sink you all at sea today!"
Vic knew Katakuri was lying, but he couldn't be bothered to call him out on it. The group had all bumped into him, making it the perfect time to clip Big Mom's wings.
If they were both in the Totto Land Island, with Big Mom protecting him, it would be really difficult for him to make a move. Although he admired Katakuri's character, they were on opposite sides, and Wendy's matter was still unresolved.
" Dark Dragon! Are you sure you can stop us? Although your record is brilliant, the few of us working together are not so easy to deal with, and you are all alone!"
Even if you could actually capture us, are you sure you can do it? Are you sure the Navy wants to start a war with the Big Mom Pirates right now?
"If we die at your hands, Mother will definitely not let it go. She's been a pirate for so many years, and she didn't come all this way alone. Many pirates of her rank are old acquaintances of hers. Are you sure the Navy can handle it?"
Katakuri was born very early, when Big Mom was still young and serving in the Rocks Pirates. He was already old enough to remember things when the Rocks Pirates fell apart.
He naturally knew that many of the legendary pirates in the New World were old acquaintances of his mother, or even the fathers of one of his younger siblings. They had some connection with each other, so it wouldn't be a problem to call them over to help Stronger influence. His mother was a great beauty when she was young.
Vic naturally understood the meaning behind Katakuri's words: the battle hadn't even started yet, and it was still uncertain who would win. Even if he lost, would you really dare to kill him? My mom has many old friends, who are now big shots in the New World. If they all come together, the Navy can't handle them!
What Vic is certain of is that the only one who would actually help Big Mom is probably Kaido, and that's only because of the favor owed to him by the Mythical Zoan Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon. The others are just using each other; who would help you if they couldn't offer something in return? They'd be lucky if they didn't take the opportunity to attack and take over your territory!
This isn't a threat to Vic. What Vic fears is a team of figures like Big Mom and Kaido joining forces, not attacking Marine Headquarters but instead trying to ambush him personally.
With his current strength, he can defend himself against one person, but winning is almost impossible. Although he knows a lot, he is still no match for absolute strength, let alone two people working together. His only option is to run away and accumulate strength, which is the real threat to him.